An international lawyers' rights group today said China had "forced" a prominent lawyer to refuse their award to secure her release from prison.
	"The Chinese authorities forced Wang Yu to refuse the award...In return for so-called freedom," the jury of the Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize said in a statement.
	"This is the first time...That the prize has been refused by a laureate under pressure from the authorities of their home country," said the jury for the prize, which was awarded in Athens in June.
	Wang Yu was among one of more than 200 lawyers and legal activists held last July in a swoop on those who had taken on civil rights cases considered sensitive by China's ruling Communist Party, which tightly controls the court system.
	But yesterday a Hong Kong-based TV channel with ties to China's government said she had recently been bailed out.
	Wang told Phoenix TV that she had experienced "the legal civilisation of China and humane care" while in ...

China 'forced' jailed lawyer to reject award: rights group

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US President Barack Obama says Donald Trump 'unfit' to

Russia today confirmed 21 cases of anthrax, including one fatality, after an unusual heatwave melted permafrost in its remote far north, releasing potentially lethal spores from the soil.
	"Unfortunately 20 people had their (anthrax) diagnosis confirmed," a spokeswoman for the Yamalo-Nenetsky regional authorities told RIA Novosti news agency.
	In addition, a 12-year-old boy died in hospital yesterday.
	The number of those hospitalised on suspicion of infection rose to 90 people, 45 of them children, regional officials said.
	It is the first outbreak of anthrax since 1941 in the region, which lies some 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) northeast of Moscow.
	It came after a month of temperatures soaring up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) that melted upper layers of permafrost, or permanently frozen soil, and sparked wildfires.
	"The anthrax spores lay in wait in the permafrost for more than a century," said the agriculture watchdog agency.
	Anthrax is spread through a ...

21 infected in far north Russia anthrax outbreak

France paid its last respects today to Father Jacques Hamel, the 85-year-old priest murdered by jihadists last week, at an emotional funeral held under tight security at Rouen cathedral in northern France.
	"As brutal and unfair and horrible as Jacques' death was, we have to look deep into our hearts to find the light," said Rouen Archbishop Dominique Lebrun.
	Some 2,000 mourners packed the soaring Gothic sanctuary, with hundreds more watching the ceremony, which began minutes after a heavy rainstorm, on a giant screen outside.
	A section of pews in the 11th-century cathedral was filled by residents of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, the nearby industrial town where the two jihadists, both 19, slit Hamel's throat as he celebrated mass in an attack that shocked the country as well as the Catholic Church.
	A red stole, symbolising Christ's martyrdom, was draped over a giant cross beside the altar, with the Rouen diocese explaining that "Father Hamel's death was similar to that of Christ, ...

France lays to rest priest slain by jihadists

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today launched his most bitter attack yet on Turkey's Western allies over the July 15 attempted putsch, accusing them of supporting both "terror" and the coup plotters who tried to unseat him.
	Erdogan, who blames the plot on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, also described the coup as a "scenario written from outside" in an allusion to foreign involvement.
	Turkey meanwhile issued arrest warrants for about 100 staff, including doctors, at Ankara's main military hospital, in a new phase of the crackdown after the failed coup that has seen some 18,000 detained and caused international consternation.
	"Unfortunately, the West is supporting terror and standing by the coup plotters," said Erdogan in a typically combative speech at his presidential palace, denouncing "those who we imagined to be friends".
	Erdogan lashed out at Germany's judicial authorities for not allowing him to address via video conference a weekend rally in Cologne in his ...

Turkey's Erdogan accuses West of 'supporting coup plotters'

Global migrant deaths have topped 4,000 in the first seven months of this year, a 26-per cent increase in the fatality rate compared with the same period of 2015, the International Organization for Migration said today.
	The total of 4,027 migrant deaths this year includes those who perished crossing the Mediterranean as well as others who died on the North African route and at the Turkey-Syria border, according to the Geneva-based IOM.
	Some 3,120 people have died since January 1 while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. The most deadly route has been the crossing towards Italy, which has cost 2,692 lives, followed by the routes to Greece (383) and Spain (45).
	IOM raised its Mediterranean death toll on Tuesday after 33 more bodies were discovered in recent days off the Libyan coastal town of Sabratha.
	The new IOM figures brought the number of bodies that have washed up in Sabratha to 120 over the last 10 days.
	Neither IOM nor Libya's coastguard - which first reported the ...

Global migrant deaths this year top 4,000: IOM

England have recalled fast bowler Steven Finn for the third Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston, captain Alastair Cook said today.
     Finn, who has taken 120 wickets in 33 Tests at an average of under 30 apiece, is set to replace the injured Ben Stokes.
     All-rounder Stokes has been ruled out after damaging his calf in England's 330-run win in the second Test at Old Trafford that levelled the four-match series at 1-1.
     Cook said there was still a slim chance England could give a home  debut to leg-spinner Adil Rashid if there was a marked change in pitch conditions between Tuesday and Wednesday's toss at Edgbaston.
     England also had the option of selecting Nottinghamshire quick Jake Ball, who made his Test debut in Pakistan's 75-run win in the series opener at Lord's.
     "It was a tough call as I found when I lie awoke at 2:00 am (0100 GMT) thinking about it" Cook told reporters at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
     Finn took six for 79 against Australia at Edgbaston in an Ashes 

England recall Finn for third Pakistan Test

Pope Francis today appointed a commission to study the issue of female Church deacons in a move seen as a potential first step towards women entering the Catholic clergy.
	 The 13-member commission, made up of seven men and six women, will examine the question with a particular focus on the history of women having played this role in the early years of the Church, the Vatican said in a statement revealing the commission members.
	 The panel will be chaired by Spanish Archbishop Luis Ladaria, the secretary of the Vatican's theological watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
	 A Jesuit, Ladaria is seen as a neutral figure without strong ties to either the progressive or conservative wings of the Vatican hierarchy.
	 The establishment of the commission follows a pledge made by Francis in May during a question-and-answer session with members of female religious orders.
	 That was warmly welcomed by Catholic feminist groups such as the US-based Women's Ordination ...

Pope 'opens door' to female deacons with new panel

Turkey is planning to split its spy service into separate units for foreign and domestic intelligence after the organisation was vehemently criticised for shortcomings over the failed coup, a report said today.
	President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been scathing about the failure of the National Intelligence Service (MIT) to warn him in a timely manner about the coup, complaining he found out when his brother-in-law called up.
	Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus yesterday said a restructuring of Turkey's intelligence operations was "on the agenda" after the coup, just as with the military.
	According to the Hurriyet daily, the move will involve splitting the MIT so that foreign espionage and domestic counter-intelligence work are in the future handled by different entities.
	This would bring Turkey in line with the system in Britain, where foreign intelligence is handled by MI6 and domestic intelligence by MI5.
	It said domestic intelligence would largely be handled by the police and 

Turkey to split spy service after coup: report

The foiled coup attempt seeking to unseat the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has cost the Turkish economy 300 billion lira, the trade minister was quoted as saying today.
	Customs and Commerce Minister Bulent Tufenkci was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet newspaper the heavy price tag may even go up but insisted that Turkey's economic fundamentals were solid.
	"Warplanes, helicopters, weapons, bombs, buildings: 300 billion lira. Maybe I am underestimating a bit," he said, referring to the heavy destruction on the night of the coup.
	"It might go up even more," he said.
	But the minister warned that the entire picture should be seen in a medium-term context even if some investors had been put off in the short-term.
	"The putschists made Turkey seem like a third world country," he fumed.
	"They (investors) are not coming after the images revealed tanks were deployed on the streets, parliament was bombed," he said, adding that some foreign orders had been cancelled in the ...

Coup costs Turkey economy USD 100 billion: minister

Nigeria has shelved a plan to build a USD 10 million film village outside the mainly Muslim northern city of Kano, bowing to virulent opposition from radical Muslim clerics.
	The decision deals a blow to a booming industry, developers said, as the centre was to generate thousands more jobs in a city hit with staggering unemployment.
	Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, an adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, said the cancellation answered the wishes of the local population.
	"The people have had their say and the government has heeded them," he told reporters last week after months of discord.
	The project, to be built on a 20-hectare (nearly 50-acre) expanse near Kano, planned for a film center, a 400-capacity auditorium, a hostel, a sound stage, a restaurant, a three-star
hotel, a shopping mall, a stadium and a clinic.
	Salafist clerics blasted it in Friday sermons, saying it would promote immorality and undermine Islamic values.
	"We don't want it, we don't need it, they should take it ...

Nigeria halts film village plans after Muslim clerics' protest

Around six assailants sprayed teargas on Chinese tourists outside a hotel near Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport today and made off with their luggage, police and rescue services said.
	Two tourists and an interpreter were slightly injured and taken to hospital, rescue workers said.
	The attack occurred around 8:00 am (0600 GMT) as the tourists were loading their luggage onto a tour bus, police told AFP.
	"Several bags and personal effects were taken," a police official said, adding that the thieves fled the scene and "several passengers were in shock".
	Rescue workers said there were 27 Chinese tourists on a tour run by an Italian company and that the coach driver was Italian.
	China has the world's second-largest economy, and its burgeoning and increasingly solvent middle class is travelling abroad in numbers greater than ever before.
	But in many countries, particularly France, their reputation for carrying large amounts of cash has made them a target of thieves.
	French ...

Thieves use teargas to rob Chinese tourists near Paris

Forces loyal to Libya's unity government said today they were advancing inside the jihadist stronghold of Sirte, following the first US air strikes on Islamic State group positions in the city.
	The IS bastion, located just across the Mediterranean from Europe, has been shaken by weeks of fierce clashes between jihadists and fighters allied to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA).
	The city, located 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli, has been controlled by IS since June 2015, and its loss would be a major blow to the jihadists, who have faced a series of setbacks in Syria and Iraq.
	IS has transformed the city into a training camp for Libyan and foreign militants, terrifying residents with public amputations and executions.
	The pro-GNA forces said Tuesday they had gained full control of Al-Dollar, a central residential district in Sirte, after clashes that killed five of their members and wounded 17.
	The announcement came after US aircraft launched five air 

Libya government forces advance in IS bastion

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said he will not bow to "intimidation" from Turkey after receiving online death threats as tensions rise between the EU and Ankara, in comments published today.
	"We should not allow ourselves to be intimidated in any way. Threats, even death threats, from the right wing and the radical part of the Turkish community have become reality for me", Kern told the Oesterreich daily.
	"Appeasement has to stop. Of course there is the right to demonstrate here, but the radical elements within the Turkish community must learn to respect our way of life," he said.
	Relations have deteriorated between Turkey and Europe since a major crackdown by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following a failed coup on July 15, with tensions particularly high with Germany and Austria, both of which have large ethnic Turkish communities.
	On Sunday, around 40,000 Erdogan supporters rallied in the German city of Cologne but a court rejected an application to allow live speeches to 

Austrian chancellor rejects Turkish 'intimidation'

Turkey today issued arrest warrants for 100 staff, including doctors, at the main military hospital in Ankara as part of an investigation into last month's failed coup, a Turkish official and reports said.
	Police were searching the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) hospital in the capital, the private NTV television reported. It was not immediately clear if any suspects had been detained.
	The Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that detention warrants had been issued without giving any number.
	Turkey blames the coup attempt on the organisation of US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of running a group called Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO), charges he denied.
	The official said that staff at the hospital were suspected of helping fast-track Gulen supporters into the military by giving them favourable medical reports.
	"GATA is crucial because this is where fitness and health reports are issued," the official ...

Turkey issues arrest warrants for 100 staff at Ankara hospital

EU commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said today he wants his British nominee to the EU executive to serve as security commissioner tasked with fighting terrorism, organised crime and cyber crime.
	Juncker said he intended to give the new job of Security Union Commissioner to Julian King, Britain's ambassador to France who he previously announced as a replacement for Jonathan Hill, the financial services commissioner.
	Hill stepped down after the British referendum on June 23 which saw Britons decide to leave the European Union.
	"President Juncker announced his intention to allocate the Security Union portfolio to Sir Julian King," a statement said, with the nomination sent to the European Parliament for approval.
	The EU statement said the new security commissioner will support the implementation of the European Agenda on Security that the European Commission, the executive of the 28-nation EU, adopted in April last year.
	The five-year agenda is aimed at tackling terrorism, ...

EU's Juncker names UK's Julian King as security commissioner

Nineteen leaders of Thailand's pro-democracy "Red Shirt" movement were charged today with breaching a ban on political gatherings, as the junta clamps down before a referendum next weekend.
	Thais will decide on Sunday whether to accept a new military-drafted constitution in the first vote since the generals toppled the elected government in 2014.
	The military says its charter -- the country's twentieth -- will curb political corruption and bring much-needed stability after a decade of turmoil.
	But critics say the document is a shameless attempt to extend the army's grip on power.
	The grassroots Red Shirt movement is loyal to the ousted government of Yingluck Shinawatra and her brother Thaksin and is fiercely critical of the junta.
	Today 19 Red Shirt leaders were charged at a Bangkok police station with breaching a ban on political gatherings of more than five people.
	"They are all charged on one charge of violating the order," Winyat Chatmoontree, a lawyer for the movement, told 

Anti-junta 'Red shirts' charged as Thai vote looms

South Korea today banned the sale of 80 Volkswagen AG models and handed down a USD 16 million fine in its latest response to the German carmaker's emission-cheating scandal.
	The environment ministry said most of the models had been showcased for sale until recently, and added that the problem vehicles had fabricated documents for emissions and noise-level tests.
	The ministry said it was revoking the certification for 80 models, or a total of around 83,000 vehicles.
	"Fabricating documents is a clear violation that undermines the entire certification process," Hong Dong-Gon, a ministry official in charge of auto environmental standards told a press briefing.
	The ministry also handed down a fine of 17.8 billion won (USD 16 million).
	In a pre-emptive move last week, Volkswagen had already suspended the sales of cars whose certification had been challenged by the authorities.
	Issuing a recall order for just three models, Hong explained that the others had fabricated documents but "no 

S Korea suspends sale of 80 Volkswagen models

IOC president Thomas Bach slammed what he called the "contemptuous" doping system blamed on the Moscow government as Russian appeals against bans from the Rio Olympics piled up.
     Bach said the Russia scandal along with Brazil's political and economic crises had made the runup to the first Olympics in South America "challenging".
     An investigation by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren which revealed state-organised doping in Russia has overshadowed the buildup to the Rio Games which start Friday.
     Eighteen canoeists and rowers made late appeals on Monday adding to challenges from three swimmers, a wrestler and the Russian weightlifting federation already in a queue at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
     But speaking at the opening session of an International Olympic Committee meeting, Bach said: "The findings in the McLaren report are very serious, in particular with regards to a system of doping allegedly orchestrated by the Russian ministry of sport.
     "If ...

IOC chief slams 'contemptuous' doping as Russian appeals mount

Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams will display their Grand Slam talents in Rio, but with serious questions being asked over tennis's place in the Olympics after a host of high-profile pull-outs.
     Colourful Latvian player Ernests Gulbis dismissed the tournament as "tennis tourism", angry over the absence of prize money and ranking points.
     Others have withdrawn due to injury -- most notably 17-time major champion Roger Federer -- scheduling fears and worries over the Zika virus.
     The absentees represent the latest chapter in the sport's on-off relationship with the Olympics.
     From 1924 until 1988, tennis disappeared from the schedule in a dispute over the place of professionals in what was seen as an amateur showpiece.
     This time, the men's event will be missing top 20 players Federer, Milos Raonic, Tomas Berdych, Dominic Thiem, Richard Gasquet, John Isner, Feliciano Lopez and Nick Kyrgios.
     The women's singles are stripped of Simona .

Tennis battles to save image after Rio pullouts

Pioneer Saudi sportswoman Sarah al-Attar has already raced at the Olympics, but now her campaign will become a marathon as she uses the Rio Games to break down barriers in the conservative kingdom.
     Attar turned heads in the head-to-toe outfit she patched together with her mother to race in the 800 metres at the 2012 London Games, where she was one of the first Saudi women Olympians.
     This time Attar, now 23, will take on the gruelling 42 kilometer (26 mile) marathon race in Rio, where four Saudi women will take part.
     The women and seven Saudi men arrived in Rio on Monday, but were kept away from prying media.
     Gender divisions are so sensitive that the Saudi Olympic Committee website did not name the women who will represent the country.
     Along with Attar, they are judoka Wujud Fahmi, fencer Lubna al-Omair and 100m runner Cariman Abu al-Jadail.
     None qualified directly for their competition, but will take part with special invitations from the International ..

AFP

AFP

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